EDGE: State of the jail

Wednesday

Aug 16, 2017 at 10:35 AMAug 16, 2017 at 10:37 AM

Since my appointment in April, I have been asked if being the head of the Sheriff’s Office is any different than being the head of a Police Department. I usually reply something to the effect of, “Well that depends.” If it is just the law enforcement side of the house, no there is not much difference. But, the Sheriff is charged by Texas law to operate the County jail, and that, of course, is a different ball game.

The Ellis County Jail, known as the Wayne McCollum Detention Center, can house 856 individuals. Normally, we have 400 – 425 per day. We, of course, provide meals, clothing, and hygiene items, but also medical, dental, and mental or emotional health treatment if needed.

Texas jails are governed by the Jail Commission and the commission sets the minimum standards that all county jails must meet. The jail administrator for our jail is Capt. Terry Ogden. Capt. Ogden and the amazing staff and detention officers of our jail have passed the annual inspection by the commission for 11 straight years. The Jail Commission has stated at different times, that if you want to see a clean jail, visit the Ellis County Jail. I, Capt. Ogden and his staff encourage anyone to come take a tour of the facility because we are proud of our detention officers and the operation and cleanliness of our jail.

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